TELEPHONY 01732 759725 31 magazine Are you ready for the ISDN switch-off? Of those who have already moved away from the PSTN to new digital networks, 63% have done so as part of a wider digital transformation strategy, which can help ease potential pain-points. w Implement upgrades to existing IT hardware to embrace the benefits of modern digital communications Those who have moved away from the PSTN network report a wealth of digital benefits. Our research found that 54% of respondents are enjoying improved flexibility, whilst 42% have increased technical capabilities, such as call recording and call transcription. These digital business enhancements will only work correctly with up-to-date and efficient IT hardware. For example, due to the increased data demands of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), older handsets and devices might not be compatible with newer ‘softphone’ capabilities. It’s important that IT teams audit their entire suite of IT hardware across all departments. This will allow them to identify compatibility issues in older devices and ensure they maximise the benefits of new digital solutions. e Enlist specialist support to assist with your understanding of the PSTN switch-off With core services potentially facing serious disruption following 2025’s switch-off, business leaders must future-proof to ensure a seamless transition. Enlisting the support of dedicated service providers can provide technical knowledge and assistance to minimise any sticking points in the migration journey. Managed service providers can not only offer a range of internet connectivity options, including Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SoGEA) or Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) broadband connections, but are equipped to help with every stage of the migration process. Additionally, a specialist connectivity partner can educate your workforce on how to operate new digital solutions efficiently, ensuring that employees gain maximum value from your investment. By enlisting the right technology partner, even the smallest of businesses can feel empowered to future-proof their IT infrastructure, drive greater business continuity and deliver seamless experiences for customers and employees alike. M247 is a cloud services and connectivity partner, supporting businesses of all sizes on their digital transformation journeys. It has offices in Manchester, London, Bucharest and Malaga, over 10,000 customers in 110 countries and a presence in 75 strategically placed data centres. https://m247.com Three steps M247 says every business needs to take In 2025, the UK’s Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) will be switched off. Due to the difficulty of maintaining the aged infrastructure, businesses that still use older analogue phone lines for voice services must migrate to digital-enabled communications. A key milestone in this transition was passed in September 2023, with the activation of ‘stop-sell’, which renders businesses unable to place any new orders for PSTN services or make significant changes to existing ones. Despite the publicity surrounding stop-sell, there is mounting concern that too few businesses are undergoing their transformation journeys away from the PSTN network before the December 2025 deadline. Here, James Smith, Head of Pre Sales at cloud services and connectivity partner M247, recommends three steps businesses should take to ease the transition to a digital communication infrastructure ahead of the ISDN switch-off. q Embrace the PSTN switchoff as part of your wider digital transformation strategy According to research conducted by M247, 54% of businesses don’t believe the PSTN switch-off has been well publicised, so much so that 88% of UK businesses still have analogue services running on the PSTN network. Businesses may be reluctant to move away from the existing PSTN network, as core services including alarm systems and legacy voice systems may rely on PSTN lines, but when the switch-off comes into force businesses that have not transitioned to the new digital infrastructure will face major problems and disruption. James Smith
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